Joe, Ann, Eric, and April, Eric’s wife, are in Ireland all week, celebrating pro-life victories in that country with the group Precious Life. Please pray for their safe travel and that they might touch many hearts on their visit. Please also pray for the repose of the soul of Jim LoCoco, brother of long time activist Nick LoCoco and for longtime sidewalk counselor Maddy Giammarese, who is at St. Margaret Mercy Hospital in Hammond Indiana with a serious infection.
Sidewalk Counselor Attacked in Nebraska
Also pray for Mary Adam of Nebraska. Mary is a 72 year old great-grandmother who was attacked by a woman who was angry that Mary had talked her daughter out of an abortion the day before. Mary cracked her head on the concrete, while the woman prodded her daughter into the clinic. Mary’s attacker was given a ticket for a class-three felony assault, but was not arrested. We must pray not only for Mary’s recovery, but for the girl who was forced to abort against her wishes, and for the woman who must be so deeply hurting over her past decisions that she feels the need to attack peaceful pro-lifers.
40 Days Vigil Updates
If you haven’t seen the Catholic New World yet, be sure to take a look. The front cover features a picture of several people praying at the opening ceremony in front of Albany. I’ll admit that I was excited to see my photo at the top of the story on the inside page, but I was more excited by the great article and the great press we received.
This morning I opened up an email from Margie Hermano, of the Couples for Christ Foundation for Family & Life, which contained a number of lovely stories from women who have participated in the vigil. I’d like to read to you what one woman wrote:
Sometimes we grudgingly sacrifice to do a service – like praying at the abortion clinic. That was how I felt when I gave up my Saturday sleep in to be there at 7:00am. I got there and already there was activity at the abortion clinic – “business” was already starting… I can only imagine the horrors of what is going on in there, YET surprisingly there was peace just outside the wired fence. Standing in prayer alone, I felt I was specially chosen and privileged to be there at that very moment with the angels who were waiting for these little beautiful babies to take up to heaven. What an awesome God we have! Service it is not–an honor and privilege it sure is. [Sunday’s] Gospel said, “Many are called but few are chosen.” But certainly, one can choose to be chosen.
I hope you will “choose to be chosen” and will join your local 40 Days Vigil, if you haven’t already. The Chicago vigil is desperately in need of help this Thursday, the 16th, as well as on the 20th and 21st. Please sign up for an hour (or two or three…)!
If you’re listening to this Tuesday, there is a great opportunity for you to listen in while we celebrate reaching the halfway point of the 40 Days Vigil. Visit the 40 Days webpage to register for the call and web simulcast, which begins at 9pm Eastern Standard Time. David Bereit and Shawn Carney, the national organizers of 40 Days will be there, as will Fr. Pavone and a “mystery guest” who they promise we won’t want to miss. They will be recording the call, so go to their website to see how you can listen to it later if you can’t listen live.
Church Leaders Teaching The Importance of Life
Two more Catholic Bishops have counseled their flocks on the need to vote pro-life. Bishops Kevin Farrell and Kevin Vann of the Dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth issued a joint statement which reminds Catholics that issues like “immigration reform, healthcare, the economy and its solvency, care and concern for the poor, and the war on terror” are matters of “prudential judgment.” Significantly, “issues of prudential judgment are not morally equivalent to issues involving intrinsic evils. No matter how right a given candidate is on any of these issues, it does not outweigh a candidate’s unacceptable position in favor of an intrinsic evil such as abortion or the protection of ‘abortion rights.'”
I have heard a number of stories of priests and pastors taking on this tough issue; it brings me such joy! My parents attend a Presbyterian Church of America congregation and the focus of this Sunday’s sermon was entirely on the sanctity of human life-supported by Scripture and science.
Early voting has already begun in Illinois and elsewhere, so the time to persuade people is growing short.
